Child Indicators Research最新文献

Research has consistently demonstrated the positive influence of preschool on students' development, with a longer duration of attendance generally correlating with improved academic achievements. However, according to the marginal utility theory, it is conceivable that there might exist an optimal duration of preschool attendance to maximize academic benefits. Currently, the optimal duration remains uncertain, and it may vary depending on the distinctive preschool characteristics of different countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of different durations of preschool attendance on academic achievements in mathematics, reading, and science and explore the optimal duration in B-S-J-Z (China), Italy, New Zealand, Denmark, and Sweden, employing the generalized propensity score (GPS) method to control for confounding factors based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018. The findings revealed a generally inverted U-shaped relationship between the duration of preschool attendance and academic achievements. Moreover, the optimal duration varied among the five countries: students in New Zealand benefited the most from attending preschool for 2 years, 3 years in Italy, and 4 years in B-S-J-Z (China), Denmark, and Sweden. The findings offer practical guidance for parents and educators in these countries to tailor their children's duration of preschool attendance for the enhancement of academic achievements.

The Family Affluence Scale (FAS) is a widely used and validated instrument to measure adolescents’ socioeconomic status (SES). It is plausible that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social and economic changes have affected the capacity of the six-item FAS-III to measure adolescent SES, particularly the holiday and computer items. Using data from 247,503 adolescents from 16 European countries participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study before (2013/14 and 2017/18) and during (2021/22) the pandemic, the present study aims to fill this gap. Findings showed that although the internal consistency of the scale decreased during the pandemic, related to the functioning of the computer and especially the holiday item, it was still acceptable in all countries. Furthermore, measurement invariance analysis showed that during the pandemic the item thresholds of the computer and particularly the holiday item deviated from the thresholds of these items before the pandemic. However, all item factor loadings were comparable to the factor loadings before the pandemic. In addition, during the pandemic the computer and holiday item and their correlations with health-related outcomes were mostly still in the expected direction. Removing these items from the scale yielded comparable or decreased scale criterion validity as compared to the original FAS-III scale in most countries. These findings inform future research that although mean differences in family affluence levels before and during the pandemic should be interpreted with caution, it is a suitable tool to study (changes in) socioeconomic health inequalities among adolescents during the pandemic.

The educational attainment levels of children in state-funded schools in England are lower than in many countries with comparable levels of economic development. There are also striking differences at the local level across England. To understand these differences it is important to examine children’s development in their early years. This research uses multilevel analysis of the National Pupil Database to investigate child development at ages 4 and 5 years old at the individual, school and local levels including within a case study urban area. Child development is assessed using teachers’ observations to measure what is termed School Readiness. This is based on a child’s communication, literacy and numeracy skills and their physical, personal and social development. The findings reveal substantial differences in School Readiness at the individual, school and local area levels including in terms of sex, ethnic background, age in the school year, welfare benefit entitlement and local area income deprivation level. Such differences are also evident across the separate Early Learning Goals that are used to assess School Readiness. Between local areas children with similar backgrounds can vary considerably in their likelihood of being categorised as School Ready. Many children face multiple disadvantages as a consequence of different interlinked factors including where they live. The gap in the levels of School Readiness has long-term implications for the individuals themselves and for society more widely. Whilst increasing the levels of School Readiness is a key target in the UK Government’s Levelling Up policy, tackling the stark inequalities will take considerable investment, highly targeted support and engagement across the home and school learning environments.

Bullying is both a major public health concern and a violation of children’s right to safety from violence. Within the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in the relation between bullying and children’s subjective well-being (SWB). Empirical research has unequivocally demonstrated the significant negative influence of bullying on children’s SWB. Within the South African context, violence and aggressive behaviour is widespread. The high prevalence of school bullying in South Africa is intricately related to the intergenerational experiences of violence, rooted in the history of racism, prejudice, oppression, exclusion, and the discriminatory practices of apartheid. However, there are limited large-scale studies that explores the relation between bullying victimization and children’s SWB. The current study, uses a population-based sample to explore the relation between bullying victimization and children’s SWB in South Africa, across provincial regions (nine provinces), age (10 - and 12-years), gender (boys and girls), geographical context (urban and rural), and socio-economic status (low, lower-middle, and middle socio-economic status). The study uses Subjective Well-Being Homeostasis Theory to frame and interpret the findings. We found a significant negative relationship between bullying victimization and children’s SWB. The combined influence of being hit, called unkind names and socially excluded explained 6 % of the variance in SWB for the overall sample, with some variation across provincial region, age groups, gender, geographical context, and socio-economic status. The study further found that increased incidences of bullying experiences were associated with lower mean scores of SWB. Finally, the study found that even though the different forms of bullying victimization have a significant negative influence on children’s SWB, the homeostatic mechanism is potentially mediating this influence and maintaining levels of SWB.

Researchers conducting child-centered studies are expected to develop strategies that allow them to not only gain access to and accurately understand children’s experiences, but also position children’s participation and empowerment in the forefront. One possible way to promote this research approach is through the use of metaphorical methods. However, little is known about the use of such methods. This article aims to introduce an innovative metaphorical narrative-based data collection methodology developed and validated in a study documenting immigrant children's understandings and experiences of their well-being. The study was conducted in collaboration with two community centres in Montréal, Québec, Canada, offering services to a majoritively immigrant population. Twenty-two children between the ages of six and twelve attending these organizations’ programs participated in four multi-activity workshops. The various activities were developed around a metaphorical character: an alien named Miinx visiting planet Earth on a mission to better understand Earthling children’s conceptions and experiences of well-being. Each workshop was connected to a letter the alien sent the children. The activities fostered self-expression through discussions, image sorting, drawing, crafting, writing, and acting. The metaphorical framework was appreciated by children and seem to allowed them to share personal opinions and life events in an indirect way. Using a pretend character to interact with children can help them feel comfortable, as they are positioned as the experts, tasked with teaching someone unfamiliar with their reality about the way they experience and understand it. By demonstrating the use of a metaphorical character in research, this study contributes to the development of participative methods in child-centred research.

Appropriate expectations are of great significance for adolescents’ psychological adjustment and healthy growth. Based on “China Education Panel Survey (CEPS)” data, this research analyzes how perceived parental expectations, adolescents’ self-expectations, and parent-child expectation discrepancies affect adolescent mental health. This paper focuses on three major aspects of expectations towards adolescents: educational achievement, residential place and general development, and explores how expectation discrepancies affect the influences of expectations on adolescent mental health. Results of linear regression models indicate that adolescents’ self-expectation on general development has positive impact on their mental health while the parent-child difference in general development expectation poses negative impact. Moderating effect tests clarify the differentiated influences of general development expectations on adolescent mental health at different levels of expectation discrepancies towards general development. In all cases, increases in general development expectations have positive effects on mental health. However, when the expectation discrepancy is small, the perceived parental expectation has a stronger effect than when the discrepancy is large. In addition, under the same levels of general development expectations, adolescents with lower parent-child expectation difference have better mental health status. Accordingly, an entry point of mental health intervention for adolescents within the family is parent-child communication reciprocity.

Adolescents in residential care display a self-perception of their own skills that may differ from how their youth workers perceive them. This difference in perceptions may influence the way youth workers see the adolescents they serve and can have an impact on the development of these children. Moreover, how adolescents perceive their own skills may also influence other aspects, such as the degree of satisfaction they have in different areas of their lives. This article analyses perceptions of cognitive, emotional and social skills and their relationship with life satisfaction in a sample of adolescents in residential care in different European countries (Spain, Poland and Germany). At the same time, the relationships these adolescents establish within the residential setting, both with other peers and with the youth workers involved in their education, have also been used to assess their satisfaction. The research has collected quantitative data through 2 questionnaires, one for the children (N = 238) and one for their youth workers (N = 217). The results show that, in most aspects, the adolescents’ self-perceptions and evaluations are higher than those attributed to them by their youth workers. Another important finding is that the average scores for satisfaction with aspects of life are low, many of them below 7 points (out of 10). Regression analyses indicate that higher skill ratings are associated with higher well-being. This article highlights the importance of changing the perspective of youth workers to a more positive one that supports, empowers and accompanies adolescents in residential care.